Holocaust Memorial Day 27 th January 2014

Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 HMD is an official day of remembrance for all those who were persecuted and killed in what has become known as the Holocaust. Between 1933 and 1945 over 6 million Jews alone were killed in ghettos and concentration camps in Nazi occupied Europe. Many others who did not fit into the Aryan ideal also suffered the same fate - Romany Gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people and countless others.

Rehumanising the Victims of the Holocaust The Nazis went to great lengths to dehumanise their victims, to try and wipe out all trace of their culture. Within the walls of the concentration camps the inmates were numbered, had their belongings taken from them and their heads shaved. They were fed very little and were worked to death.

Lessons from Auschwitz Whilst the numbers are horrific, it is important that we do not forget that the victims of the Holocaust were real people with families, friends and hobbies. The task you are now asked to do aims to help rehumanise the victims of the Holocaust.

This year As a tutor group you will be pledging your support to always remember this lost not only in the Holocaust, but also in genocides that have taken place and that continue happen since World War 2. Hopefully, as with last year it will encourage you to think about themes of loss, disappearance and memory.

The task: Each tutor group will be provided with a piece of paper in a brown envelope. Each tutee must ink their index finger on one hand and carefully make their fingerprint on the piece of paper. The prints should link as closely to the guide lines as possible and have only a tiny gap between each one. As a second line is made, the prints should be directly below the ones above them. The prints should be left to dry and then inserted back into the envelope and returned to the Art department.

Your pledge You don’t need to say anything. All you need to do is make a fingerprint on a piece of paper. But perhaps the act of doing this and the ink- stain on your finger will remind you, even if only until it washes off, of the victims of the Holocaust. Perhaps it will make you think about things in a different way…. Your prints will be used for artworks in the school reception area.